Shannon O'Brien

FOX 4 news reporter

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Shannon is an Emmy Award winning reporter who joined FOX 4 in November 2013. She was born and raised in Kansas City and graduated from The Barstow School. She is thrilled to be working in Kansas City, telling the stories of the hometown she loves!
Shannon is always looking for stories that impact people in the Kansas City area. Email her at Shannon.OBrien@wdaftv4.com, or find her on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ShannonOBrienTV and Twitter @ShannonOBTV
More about Shannon:
Shannon began her career as a Reporter at WHNS-TV in Greenville, SC, where she learned the ins and outs of reporting. From there, Shannon headed north to Cleveland, Ohio, where she was a reporter for WOIO-TV. While in Cleveland, Shannon developed her skills as an aggressive reporter covering breaking news, crime and court stories and investigative journalism. Some of her notable stories include the exclusive interview of the girlfriend of Cleveland serial killer Anthony Sowell. Shannon discovered the woman was the niece of Mayor Frank Jackson and lived in the home during the time period in which Sowell murdered 11 women and buried them in his yard and home. That interview was crucial to police in piecing together what happened in that home and convicting Sowell of the murders.
Shannon then continued east to Providence, R.I. where she was an anchor/reporter for WLNE-TV. As the weekend anchor, she also produced her show, which allowed her to master the art of putting together an entire newscast. As a reporter in Providence, Shannon broke many memorable stories, including obtaining the Pre-Sentence Report of Kimberly Fry. Fry killed her 8-year-old daughter because the child would not take a bath. She did not testify at trial, but after she was found guilty she gave details of what she says happened that night in this confidential report. Such a document had not been obtained by a Journalist since the sentencing of Former Mayor Buddy Cianci in 1986.
Shannon received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from Marymount University in Arlington, Va. Going to college in the Washington, D.C. area fostered Shannon’s interest in politics and law, which has been instrumental in shaping her career as a Journalist.
Shannon is involved in many philanthropic organizations across the country, including the BOTAR organization in Kansas City. Her passions include cooking, music, the theatre, sports and most of all The Kansas City Chiefs! She enjoys spending time with her family, especially her 2 nieces Jordan and Teagan and her dog Daisy.

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Recent Articles

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Dubbed the “Breezy Rider,” Johnathon Menth led police on a chase on the interstate, through yards and pastures while riding an ATV naked. Many people have gotten a good laugh over the situation, but not everyone thinks it’s funny. “That’s my brother, you know. I love him to death,” said David Menth, who worries about his brother Johnathon every moment of every day and has since they were kids. “He was 12; I was 7 when my […]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When it comes to battling autoimmune diseases, food an either help or hinder disease recovery, and some the bad stuff might be in your kitchen right now. FOX 4’s Shannon O’Brien has Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, which affects the thyroid, and now she’s giving her pantry and refrigerator a makeover in her fight against her autoimmune disease. Lisa Markley, a registered dietitian, doesn’t just talk the talk. She walks the walk. And she shocked O’Brien a few times when […]

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Independence police say the “suspicious device” found in a vacant apartment at the Independence Ridge Apartments was an improvised explosive device made of consumer fireworks with added shrapnel. Police say it was made to harm people. Residents like Lindsey Wesley watched the bomb squad recover the I.E.D. Monday night. “To be honest my initial thought was maybe meth lab because who thinks to put a meth lab in an apartment?” asked Wesley. “I am like, ‘oh, they […]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A naked man driving a yellow ATV the wrong way on Interstate 435 on Sunday is now in the hospital, under arrest. Johnathon Menth, 27, is charged with a list of crimes including burglary, property damage and sexual misconduct after his wild ride on a stolen ATV. FOX4’s Shannon O’Brien spoke with the ATV’s rightful owner. This could have been very serious. Menth could have killed himself or others on his joy ride Sunday. Now that everyone […]

OLATHE, Kan. — Since the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, there has been a significant increase in school threats across the country, including here in the metro. KCK, Park Hill, Blue Springs, Olathe and Lee’s Summit are some of the school districts included. Some of them are the result of generic or misleading social media posts. “I don’t think there is a more confusing time to be a parent,” Nancy Chartrand said. Chartrand has a freshman and senior at Olathe East […]

TOPEKA, Kan. — One of the people who’s advising President Trump in the wake of the Florida school shooting is Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, and he thinks teachers should be armed to prevent another massacre. Kobach said school shootings usually last for 3 minutes, and it takes police on average 5 to 8 minutes to respond. To fill in the gap, Kobach wants teachers who are willing to be allowed to carry guns to prevent massacres like the […]

OLATHE, Kan. — An Olathe mom accused of trying to kill her three children faced a judge Wednesday Therese Roever is charged with three counts of attempted capital murder. The capital classification is because the crime involved more than one victim in the same act. Her bond was set at $1 million. During her first court appearance Wednesday, Roever entered the holding room at the Johnson County Jail wearing what looked like a long bullet-proof vest. Her attorney asked the judge […]

OLATHE, Kan. — An Olathe mom is behind bars, accused of trying to kill her three children. Police were called to the 1700 block of North Lennox Street at about 7:05 p.m. Monday and found the mother and children inside the home. They needed medical attention. The woman talked to officers, leading officers to believe she and the kids had ingested something that was dangerous. They were taken to the hospital in serious condition. Police arrested the 37-year-old mother and […]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — More than 50 million people in the United States suffer from autoimmune diseases, conditions where the immune system attacks healthy calls and the effects can be debilitating. I am one of those 50 million people. I have an autoimmune disease, and sometimes it gets so bad that it’s difficult to function. I suffer from Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. My immune system thinks my thyroid is a foreign invader and doesn’t belong in my body, so I make antibodies […]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A horrific crash on Interstate 435 has left a Kansas City family devastated. Three members of the Vazquez family are in the hospital, and two are dead after the terrible crash Sunday on I-435 near State Line Road. Seven-year-old Ruth Vazquez and her one-year-old sister Teresa Vazquez died. The Vazquez family was on the way home from a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese’s in Overland Park, and in just one split-second the family has been changed […]

KANSAS CITY, Mo — The stunning news that the FBI didn’t investigate a tip about Florida school shooting suspect Nicholas Cruz has not only shocked citizens they’re supposed to protect but also those inside the agency. “I am saddened by this revelation,” former FBI Agent Jeff Lanza said. A caller to the FBI tip line reported Cruz had weapons, wanted to kill people, had been acting strange, even pointed out a social media post where Cruz said he wanted to […]

KANSAS CITY, Mo — The owner of a metro rescue group that works to help animals is now charged with nearly killing one. Kate Quigley, director of Chain of Hope, was in front of a judge in municipal court Tuesday, accused of poisoning a dog. Lucy is an active, happy and healthy 8-year-old dog, but her owner Willie Crutchfield said he came home one day in November to find Lucy had gotten sick several places in the yard and was […]